An exemplary image forming apparatus includes: an illumination system which sequentially emits illuminating light beams from multiple different irradiation directions; an image sensor which captures a plurality of different images in the multiple different irradiation directions, respectively; an image processing section which forms a high-resolution image; and a memory which stores data about the ratio of light rays that have been incident on a photoelectric conversion section of each pixel of the image sensor to light rays that have passed through the upper surface of a plurality of subpixels included in the pixel with respect to each of the multiple irradiation directions. The image processing section forms the high-resolution image based on the data that has been retrieved from the memory by extracting, as a vector, a set of pixel values associated with the multiple irradiation directions from pixel values that form each of the plurality of images.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An image forming apparatus comprising: an illumination system which sequentially emits illuminating light beams from multiple different irradiation directions with respect to an object and irradiates the object with the illuminating light beams; an image sensor which is arranged at a position where the illuminating light beams that have been transmitted through the object are incident and which captures a plurality of different images in the multiple different irradiation directions, respectively; an image processing section which forms a high-resolution image of the object, having a higher resolution than any of the plurality of images, based on the plurality of images; and a memory which stores data about the ratio of light rays that have been incident on a photoelectric conversion section of each pixel of the image sensor to light rays that have passed through the upper surface of a plurality of subpixels included in the pixel with respect to each of the multiple irradiation directions, wherein the image processing section forms the high-resolution image of the object based on the data that has been retrieved from the memory by extracting, as a vector, a set of pixel values associated with the multiple irradiation directions from pixel values that form each of the plurality of images.
2. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the image processing section forms the high-resolution image of the object by multiplying the inverse matrix of a matrix having the ratio as its element by the vector of the pixel values based on the data that has been retrieved from the memory by extracting, as a vector, a set of pixel values associated with the multiple irradiation directions from pixel values that form each of the plurality of images.
3. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the image processing section forms the high-resolution image of the object by performing super-resolution processing using, as a vector, a set of pixel values that are associated with the multiple irradiation directions and that have been extracted from pixel values that form each of the plurality of images.
4. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the object is arranged close to the image sensor, and the object and the image sensor face each other with no lenses interposed between the object and the image sensor.
5. The image forming apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the interval between an imaging surface of the image sensor and the object is equal to or shorter than 100 μm.
6. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of images includes images representing respectively different portions of the object.
7. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the object is fixed to the image sensor, and the image forming apparatus includes a holder which holds the image sensor in an attachable and removable state.
8. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the illumination system is able to emit light beams falling within respectively different wavelength ranges.
9. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the illumination system includes a light source which sequentially moves to multiple different positions corresponding to the multiple different irradiation directions and emits the illuminating light beams from those positions one after another.
10. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the illumination system includes a plurality of light sources which are arranged at multiple different positions corresponding to the multiple different irradiation directions and emit the illuminating light beams sequentially.
11. The image forming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the illumination system includes a tilting mechanism which tilts the object and the image sensor together, and by tilting the object and the image sensor together, the illumination system sequentially emits illuminating light beams from multiple different irradiation directions with respect to the object and irradiates the object with the illuminating light beams.
12. The image forming apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the illumination system includes a mechanism which changes at least one of the object's orientation and position.
13. The image forming apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the mechanism includes at least one of a gonio system and a moving stage.
14. The image forming apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the mechanism includes an optical system which increases the degree of parallelism of the illuminating light beam.
15. The image forming apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the illumination system includes an optical system which increases the degree of parallelism of the illuminating light beam.
16. An image forming method comprising: sequentially emitting illuminating light beams from multiple different irradiation directions with respect to an object and irradiating the object with the illuminating light beams; capturing a plurality of different images in the multiple different irradiation directions, respectively, using an image sensor which is arranged at a position where the illuminating light beams that have been transmitted through the object are incident; forming a high-resolution image of the object, having a higher resolution than any of the plurality of images, based on the plurality of images; and storing in a memory data about the ratio of light rays that have been incident on a photoelectric conversion section of each pixel of the image sensor to light rays that have passed through the upper surface of a plurality of subpixels included in the pixel with respect to each of the multiple irradiation directions, wherein the forming a high-resolution image of the object includes the forming the high-resolution image of the object by multiplying the inverse matrix of a matrix having the ratio as its element by the vector of the pixel values based on the data that has been retrieved from the memory by extracting, as a vector, a set of pixel values associated with the multiple irradiation directions from pixel values that form each of the plurality of images.
17. An image sensor for use in an image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus comprising: i) an illumination system which sequentially emits illuminating light beams from multiple different irradiation directions with respect to an object and irradiates the object with the illuminating light beams; ii) a holder which holds the image sensor in an attachable and removable state; iii) an image processing section which forms, based on a plurality of different images that have been captured by the image sensor in the multiple different irradiation directions, respectively, a high-resolution image of the object having a higher resolution than any of the plurality of images; and iv) a memory which stores data about the ratio of light rays that have been incident on a photoelectric conversion section of each pixel of the image sensor to light rays that have passed through the upper surface of a plurality of subpixels included in the pixel with respect to each of the multiple irradiation directions, the image processing section forming the high-resolution image of the object based on the data that has been retrieved from the memory by extracting, as a vector, a set of pixel values associated with the multiple irradiation directions from pixel values that form each of the plurality of images, the image sensor being arranged attachably to, and removably from, the image forming apparatus, an imaging surface of the image sensor has an object supporting portion which is a region on which the object is able to be mounted, and the image sensor is arranged at a position where the illuminating light beams transmitted through the object are incident while being held by the holder onto the image forming apparatus and captures the plurality of different images in the multiple different irradiation directions.
18. The image sensor of claim 17 , wherein the image sensor is arranged above slide glass, and held by the holder onto the image forming apparatus attachably to, and removably from, the image forming apparatus via a portion of the slide glass.
19. The image sensor of claim 17 , wherein an opaque member is arranged on a side surface of the image sensor.
20. The image sensor of claim 17 , wherein an opaque region which limits an image capturing range is arranged on the object supporting portion.
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February 20, 2015
September 6, 2016
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